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Here is the quarterly board meeting schedule for 2018:January 22April 23July 23October 22All meetings are at 6:00 pm at Community State Bank, McConnellsburg. The public is invited to attend.***Update:The construction documents have been reviewed by PAFBC (Fish and Boat). The Dam Safety permit (D29-032) for the restoration of the dam at Meadow Grounds Lake has been posted on the PA Bulletin Volume 47. The details will go back and forth between DEP and PAFBC until everything is correct. We are maintaining regular contact with both offices. When the permit clears, we'll let you know and take a look at the next step.

Where are we in the process?According to Fish and Boat Engineer Jerry Woomer, we are on time and well within budget. The "Interim Document Phase" is now complete, and we are in what PAFBC calls the "Construction Document and Permitting Phase." Mr. Woomer's email read: "The next step is the 'construction documents' submission due in August. Barring any significant corrections it will go to the DEP for permit processing."

In the meantime, CES Engineering is working with PAFBC engineers on the handicapped-accessible boat dock.

February 27, 2017

At tonight's meeting of the board of Friends of Meadow Grounds Lake, we unveiled an artist's rendering from the engineers on what the finished project will look like.

August 22, 2016, the Board of Directors for Friends of Meadow Grounds Lake hosted a special event on progress on the lake. Our project is fully funded. We also saw details on the design for the repairs and saw an updated timeline. Although the timeline provided by PAFBC estimated that the restoration should be complete by no later than March, 2021, the funding situation and positive energy toward the project are expected to result in an earlier completion date. We are meeting or exceeding the timeline at every step. FOMGL would like to thank the following:Tim Schaeffer, Director of Policy and Planning, PA Fish and Boat Commission Paul Urbanik, Chief of Engineering, PAFBC Senator John Eichelberger Representative Jesse Topper Jeremy Shoemaker, Chief of Staff for Senator Richard Alloway Erin Molchany, Director Southwest Office for Governor Tom Wolf.

Funding For Meadow Grounds Lake Released, Says Topper

BEDFORD – State funding of $3.9 million to help aid in the restoration of fishing and boating opportunities at Meadow Grounds Lake in Fulton County has been released by the Wolf administration, said Rep. Jesse Topper (R-Bedford/Fulton/Huntingdon) today.

The funding comes from the Commonwealth’s Capital Budget and is part of an overall $32 million effort to rehabilitate seven high-hazard dams in Pennsylvania.

“This is great news for the outdoor sports enthusiasts in our region as a major recreational area could be put back into full use soon,” said Topper. “Many people and groups have been working very hard to raise funds, seek grants and help make this happen.”

Topper said Meadow Grounds Lake has been in a water drawdown condition since February 2013, so that repairs could eventually be made at the dam. Since that time, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission conducted a comprehensive engineering and safety investigation with the assistance of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Dam Safety.

In addition to work advocating for the dam restoration, Topper said the Friends of Meadow Grounds Lake organization raised $100,000 on its own to help with the project.

“The local effort put forward shows that Meadow Grounds Lake means so much to the recreational and economic opportunities of the region, and the patience that they and others have shown says a lot for the determination to see this through to the end,” said Topper. “I thank the friends group and other local and state officials and agencies for all of the outstanding work.”

The next big Meadow Grounds event will be a drawing sponsored by the McConnellsburg Volunteer Fire Company to benefit Meadow Grounds Lake. The drawing will be on Saturday, May 21, at the Legion picnic grounds. The ever-popular band Shindiggin' will provide the music. For tickets, email Ed Carbaugh at cyndined@embarqmail.com .

March 18, 2016. Officials from the PA Fish and Boat Commission (PAFBC) met with members of the FOMGL Board at Meadow Grounds Lake. Engineers Jerry Woomer and Paul Urbanik with Surveyor Mac Blizzard discussed progress on the design phase and possible improvement projects with Anthony D'Anna, Dayton Tweedy, Scott Alexander, and Johnny Greathead. At our March 28 board meeting, we will talk about what we learned. We will also have some updates from Tim Schaeffer., who is unable to attend. He is in contact with us, though, and sending us updated information. I will post updates after Monday's meeting.

October 26, we had an exciting Board of Directors meeting for Friends of Meadow Grounds Lake. Special guests were Michele Jacoby, Director of the Bureau of Engineering for the PA Fish and Boat Commission (PAFBC), Tim Schaeffer, PAFBC Director of Policy and Planning, Kathleen Gunnell from Senator Eichelberger's office, and Joel Black from Representative Topper's staff. Mr. Schaeffer gave us the following pieces of good news. The design engineer was selected the same day as our board meeting. Also, Assuming a structurally balanced this year and next, the funding is approved for the construction phase. The Governor has released the funds for the repair of Meadow Grounds Lake and 11 other lakes, largely due to the efforts of FOMGL. As the selection of the engineer and the release of the funds have been our main immediate goals since we met our goal of raising $100,000 was met, this news was wonderful to hear. Ms. Jacoby gave a detailed and informative presentation on the status of the repairs to the dam and spillway at Meadow Grounds Lake. She outlined steps that would need to be taken to stop the excess seeping from the dam and to increase the capacity of the spillway. The next step is the design firm's approved schedule, which is expected by spring, 2016. FOMGL is not satisfied with the pace of the process. However, we are encouraged by the information provided by Tim Schaeffer and Michele Jacoby. PAFBC has assured us of their commitment to Meadow Grounds Lake. We will continue to maintain a positive working relationship with the PAFBC, Senator Eichelberger, and Representative Topper to bring back our beloved lake as quickly as possible.

Monday, October 26, 2015 will be a highly informative meeting of the Board of Directors of Friends of Meadow Grounds Lake. Guests will be Tim Schaeffer and Michele Jacoby (Director of the Bureau of Engineering) for the PA Fish and Boat Commission, Senator John Eichelberger, and Representative Jesse Topper. Come out at 6:00 pm to the Community State Bank in McConnellsburg. You don't want to miss it!